Mamata: Forging friendship

New Delhi, Sept. 15: Mamata Banerjee today appeared to shed her antipathy towards the Sangh parivar brand of politics even as a flattered RSS hailed her as Bengal’s Durga.

The Trinamul Congress chief, who is still without a portfolio, was seeking the Sangh’s support in her fight against communist “terror”. “If you (the RSS) give us just 1 per cent support, we will be able to fight red terror,” she told the assembled RSS brass, including H.V. Seshadri, Mohan Bhagwat and Madan Das Devi.

“I have never got to meet so many RSS leaders, though I have met some individually. You people are true patriots. I know you love the country, you care for even small, remote areas of the country,” she added.

Mamata was speaking at the release of the book, Communist Terrorism, compiled and edited by the editor of RSS mouthpiece Panchajanya, Tarun Vijay.

The book — which she said “hum log dil se (we wholeheartedly) welcomes” — highlights the “terror” communists have unleashed in Bengal and Kerala and includes chapters on MCC militancy in Jharkhand and Nepal.

Defence minister George Fernandes, boycotted by the Opposition in Parliament, egged her on. After releasing the book, he told Mamata to visit state capitals and educate the people about red “terror”.

Mamata said “we are with you (the RSS) in your fight against the communists”.

An apparently overwhelmed Balbir Punj, BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP, said: “Hamari pyari Mamatadi, sakshaat Durga (Our sister Mamata, who is Durga herself)...” Political murders, he claimed, were limited to Bengal and Kerala where the Marxists are strong.

The Trinamul chief attributed her entry in politics to her fight against the party that was “itna bhayankar (so terrible)”.

“Pitai khake khake hum log yahan pahuncha (We are here after suffering their excesses). We are fed up saying that the CPM is a dangerous party. They say the CPM is a fascist party... they are fascist, opportunists, hypocrites and (practice) double standards,” she said.

Showing some injury marks on her elbows suffered in an alleged attempt on her life, Mamata said she has more evidence to prove Marxist “terror”, such as video cassettes, photographs and documents.

Vijay claimed that over 9,000 people died in communist violence till this June. “If you vote for the Trinamul, your hands are chopped off; a teacher was done to death inside the classroom before stunned students in Kerala,” he added.

Taking a dig at Leftists and secularists, he said: “Some people go with candles to the Wagah border, demanding dialogue with Pakistan, but turn a blind eye to what is happening in our own country.”

Fifty-five districts in the country, he claimed, were in the grip of red “terror”. Vijay then turned to Mamata, to “appeal to Bengal ki Durga... to speak.”